Sexual Misconduct Policy for Faculty/Staff

Policy 5.1030
Effective: 5/9/2005

Sexual Misconduct

Our society has grown acutely and painfully aware of the tragedy of sexual abuse. The trauma and damage such abuse causes its victims, their families, and the community is devastating. Lewis University will make every effort to prevent the occurrence of any such activity and to deal promptly and effectively with any such allegations that may arise. In any and all cases of alleged sexual misconduct, Lewis University will move quickly and with compassion to attend to the temporal and spiritual needs of the victims and their families, and to protect against any further misconduct. At the same time, every reasonable effort will be made to afford the accused member with adequate assistance and opportunity to defend himself/herself since an allegation of such misconduct, even if unfounded, can have catastrophic personal consequences. Sexual misconduct includes but is not limited to sexual harassment, non-consensual sexual intercourse, non-consensual sexual contact and sexual exploitation.

The allegation of any sexual misconduct involving minors or allegedly occurring in the context of ministry with children or adults will be treated with the utmost seriousness and investigated thoroughly. Lewis University will cooperate fully with any public authorities that may be investigating the matter, and will take care not to interfere with any public investigation.

The procedures, which the University has developed for dealing with accusations of sexual misconduct by its members, are set forth below. These procedures are intended as a guide in addressing such accusations

Procedure

Any employee who believes that they have been subjected to work related sexual abuse or misconduct should promptly bring the matter to the attention of the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, or if uncomfortable in reporting to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources to the Provost, Senior Vice President/CFO or one of the Vice Presidents of the University. Any supervisor or manager who receives a report or other information indicating the occurrence of work related sexual abuse or misconduct is required to immediately forward the report or other information to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources for action.

Any accusation of sexual misconduct should be immediately referred to the Associate Vice President for Human Resources. No action or investigation of any nature should be initiated without the explicit authorization of the Associate Vice President for Human Resources, except in exigent circumstances where there is a direct threat to health or safety. Any employee or volunteer of Lewis University making or relaying such an accusation must maintain the strictest confidence regarding the matter, except in situations where the person is required by law to make an immediate report of the accusation to civil authorities.

Investigation of Allegations or Complaints

The Associate Vice President for Human Resources has been charged with the responsibility for and given the authority to investigate all alleged sexual misconduct matters involving University personnel, including faculty. Investigations will be conducted in a manner that is sensitive to the interests of all concerned and will be kept confidential to the extent possible. Under certain circumstances, the University will use appropriate governmental, legal and counseling services to investigate/remedy the matter.

If it is determined that an employee has engaged in sexual misconduct, appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination, will be taken. This is in addition to any action that may be taken by any governmental process.

Amended by Human Resources 7/12/13 and 6/20/14

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Helpful Resources

Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Lewis University is an equal opportunity employer. Decisions regarding hiring, promotion, termination, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training, discipline, and all other decisions regarding the terms and conditions of employment will be made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, marital status, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, disability, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local laws which is unrelated to the ability to perform the job or which can be reasonably accommodated.